Covering Canterbury and nearby
Requests for automatic entrance lobbies in Canterbury are handled by us and passed to a specialist engineer working under our management. Coverage includes the CT1 and CT2 postcode districts: town-centre premises, business and retail sites, public buildings and residential streets alike.
Around Canterbury there is usually a mix of retail parks, business parks and town-centre shops, each with different door needs. A retail park unit may need a wide bi-parting door for trolleys, while a town-centre shop often has a narrow frontage better suited to a single slider or a folding door.
Nearby towns we also list for automatic entrance lobbies (straight-line distance): Whitstable (6.1 miles), Herne Bay (6.8 miles), Faversham (8.6 miles), Ashford (12.8 miles), Folkestone (14.2 miles), Deal (14.5 miles).
What to think about for automatic entrance lobbies in Canterbury
- Where an over-door heater is fitted, check its settings once the lobby is working. Many buildings find the heater can run at a lower setting afterwards.
- Two operators mean two power supplies, or one supply sized for both. Check whether there is a suitable supply at ceiling height, as cable runs across a finished foyer add cost.
- Surgeries and clinics in Canterbury need lobbies wide and deep enough for wheelchairs, mobility scooters and people with walking frames. Avoid interlocks at public entrances unless there is a strong security reason for them.
- Office buildings on business parks in Canterbury often have a reception desk close to the entrance. Keeping the desk out of line with the doors, and making the lobby deep enough, keeps the receptionist out of the draught.
- Listed buildings and conservation areas in Canterbury may limit changes to the frontage. An internal lobby behind the existing doors often keeps the street view unchanged, though consent may still be needed.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Canterbury: guide prices
The site survey is free, including the measured drawing and a fixed, itemised written quote. Guide price: typically £14,995 to £34,995 ex VAT.
| Item | Guide price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Draught lobby: two sets of automatic sliding doors and glazed screens | £14,995 – £34,995 | doors and screens, installed, ex VAT |
| Lobby with curtain walling or building work | Priced on survey | larger public-sector lobbies have cost £50,000 or more |
| Card or fob reader tied into the door | £795 – £2,495 | per door, ex VAT |
| Battery backup for power-cut operation | £395 – £695 | per door, ex VAT |
Lobby prices cover the doors and glazed screens. Building work, flooring, heating and curtain walling are priced on survey.
Standards and rules in England
Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, which can include altering a physical feature such as a heavy entrance door. New entrances and some alterations count as building work, so check with building control before the work is ordered.
Building regulations guidance in England (Approved Document M, Volume 2) says a powered opening system should be used where a self-closing entrance door would need more than 30 N at the leading edge to open, or more than 22.5 N between 30° and 60°, and expects external doors used by the public in new buildings to give at least 1000 mm of effective clear width.
How it works
- Tell us about the entrance. Send the address, a few photos and a rough size of the opening, and say how the door is used. That is enough for us to suggest options for automatic entrance lobbies and book a survey in Canterbury.
- Free site survey. A specialist engineer working under our management measures the opening, checks the frame, floor, head height and power, and talks through how people use the entrance. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Fixed written quote. You receive a fixed, itemised written quote with the specification, lead time, payment stages and warranty terms. The price does not change unless the scope does, and any change is agreed in writing first.
- Installation and handover. The door is fitted on the agreed dates, then set up, tested and documented with reference to BS EN 16005. You are shown the controls and the simple checks to make, and receive the handover paperwork.
Book a free survey of your entrance in Canterbury and we will suggest a lobby layout, then send a fixed quote for both door sets and the screens.
Automatic entrance lobbies in Canterbury: questions
Will an automatic lobby in Canterbury need planning permission?
An internal lobby often leaves the outside of the building unchanged, but a glazed porch or new frontage may need planning permission, and a listed building may need consent for either. We point out likely approvals at survey so they can be sorted before anything is ordered.
What do you charge for automatic entrance lobbies in Canterbury?
Our guide is £14,995 to £34,995 excluding VAT (per lobby, doors and screens), the same guide prices we use across the UK. The free site survey in Canterbury confirms the price as a fixed, itemised written quote, and the guide price tool gives you a range before anyone visits.
How will a lobby cope with the weather in Canterbury?
The survey looks at which way the entrance faces and how exposed it is. In windy or wet spots, a deeper lobby, a right-angle layout or doors with stronger seals and wind settings help. A good matting well deals with the water that still comes in on shoes.
Can you look after the lobby doors in Canterbury after installation?
We can arrange planned servicing for both door sets, checking sequencing, safety sensors and alarm releases at each visit and leaving a written record. Servicing is charged per visit, and the price is confirmed in writing before an engineer comes out.
Can automatic doors be fitted to a listed building in Canterbury?
Often, yes, but listed building consent is normally needed for changes that affect the character of the building, inside or out. Slim operators, concealed fixings and automating the existing door can all reduce the visual impact. Speak to the conservation officer at the local planning authority early; we can provide drawings and specifications to help.
Will the building stay secure while the entrance is being changed?
We plan to keep the entrance usable or secure throughout. Where a door has to come out, the work is sequenced so the opening is closed up before the engineer leaves, or a temporary door or hoarding is arranged when a longer gap cannot be avoided. How this is handled for your site in Canterbury is agreed before work starts.
Do businesses in Canterbury have to fit automatic doors?
No law says every building must have automatic doors. Under the Equality Act 2010, service providers and employers must make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and building regulations guidance in England calls for a powered door where an entrance door would otherwise be too heavy to open. An automatic door is often the simplest way to meet both.